Bruce Power’s Unit 1 sends electricity to Ontario grid for first time in 15 years

Bruce Power achieved an important milestone today with the successful synchronization of Unit 1 to Ontario’s electricity grid, generating power from the unit for the first time in 15 years.

“This is a significant achievement for Bruce Power and another tangible milestone that the Restart project is nearing completion and we are close to securing eight units of operation,” said Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO. “This is a big step forward as we work to return the Bruce Power site to its full generating potential, and maintain our role of keeping electricity costs low, the lights on and the air we breathe clean.”

With first synchronization now complete, final planned commissioning activities will be carried-out on Unit 1 including safety system shutdown testing. Unit 2 continues to be on track to return to operations in the fourth quarter. Units 1 and 2 will produce enough electricity to power cities the size of Ottawa and London, ON, combined.

“Ontario is building a modern, clean, reliable electricity system that families and businesses can count on,” said Chris Bentley, Ontario’s Minister of Energy. “This achievement by Bruce Power is an important step towards eliminating the use of coal-fired electricity by the end of 2014.”

The return to service of Units 1 and 2 will bring the Bruce Power site back to its eight-unit capacity, doubling the number of operational units from 10 years ago when the company began its multi-year revitalization program to make it the largest nuclear generating facility in the world. Prior to this investment, half of the units on the site were laid up.

The Bruce Power revitalization program is an essential element to Ontario’s plan to phase out coal generation in 2014. Coal output over the past decade has dropped by nearly 90 per cent annually, while Bruce Power has increased its output by 55 per cent. This increased clean generation from the Bruce Power site accounts for 40 per cent of the coal generation reduced to date in the province. With the return to service of Units 1 and 2, Bruce Power will remain a key player in both reducing and staying off coal, which is one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in North America.

About Bruce Power

Bruce Power operates one of the world’s largest nuclear sites and is the source of roughly 25 per cent of Ontario’s electricity. The company’s site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among TransCanada, Cameco, Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) as well as the Power Workers’ Union and Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power’s employees are also owners in the business.